Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 40 A Turnaround
Jade’s POV
I slid into the back seat without another word and closed the door softly, like any loud sound might shatter whatever fragile balance existed inside the car.
Ronan started driving immediately.
Silence swallowed us whole.
Not the comfortable kind. Not the kind that felt okay. This silence was sharp, brittle, pressing against my ears until I became painfully aware of every breath I took, every shift of my body against the seat. Ryder stared straight ahead. Ronan’s grip on the steering wheel was tight, knuckles pale. Renzo sat beside me, close enough that I could feel his presence like a storm cloud, but he didn’t look at me.
My wolf stirred.
We are sitting with our mates, she whispered eagerly. Talk to them. Look at them. Touch them. I want them. We want them.
Shut up, I snapped internally, panic rising in my chest. Please shut up.
She didn’t.
She purred, restless and needy, pressing against my thoughts like she always did when they were near. My heart beat faster against my ribs, traitorous and loud, and I hated myself for it. I hated how my body reacted to them even when my mind screamed that nothing good ever came from this.
I couldn’t take the silence anymore.
“Are you guys... alright?” I asked softly.
My voice sounded too small in the enclosed space.
Renzo turned his head slightly, just enough for me to see his profile, cold, sharp, unreadable.
“Why do you ask?” he said.
I swallowed. “Nothing,” I replied quickly. “It’s just... you left in a really weird way last night. And I....” I hesitated, then forced myself to continue. “I was worried.”
Ryder shifted in the front seat but didn’t turn.
“I know I’m not supposed to be,” I rushed on, words tumbling out now. “I know I’m not in any position to worry about you. But the mate bond is still there, and I can’t help it. I don’t even want to worry about you, but I do. So.... yeah.”
Renzo let out a short breath that almost sounded like a scoff.
“Of course,” he said flatly, then turned his gaze back to the windshield. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
That was it.
No reassurance. No explanation.
The tension thickened, pressing down on my chest until it became hard to breathe. I wanted to say something else, anything, but the air in the car felt hostile, like every word I could speak would only make things worse.
So I stayed quiet.
We reached the school just i time, I could not wait to get off the the car
Ronan pulled up in front of the entrance, the same place where students were already gathering, laughing, talking, living their normal lives like the world wasn’t spinning out of control beneath my feet.
“Out,” Renzo said.
I nodded immediately and stepped out of the car, my movements automatic. The door shut behind me with a dull thud.
I took two steps away.
Then I stopped.
Something twisted painfully in my chest, and before I could stop myself, I turned back to face them.
“Why?” I asked.
All three of them were out of the car and they looked at me now.
“Why exactly did you decide to drive me to school today?” My voice trembled despite my effort to keep it steady. “You barely looked at me. You barely spoke to me. I spoke to you, and you barely answered. So what was the point?”
None of them interrupted me.
“Was this supposed to be some kind of punishment for yesterday?” I continued, the words spilling faster now. “You know I hate being around you guys. It messes with my head. I can’t think straight because of this stupid bond. Nothing good ever comes from me being near you, and yet you forced me to spend the whole morning with you just to ignore me.”
My chest rose and fell rapidly.
“So what was the point?”
Ryder’s jaw tightened.
“Well,” he said evenly, “since you hate being around us so much, how about we reject you right now and free you from the mate bond forever?”
The words slammed into me.
“What?” I breathed.
Ronan nodded once. “You heard him. We’re going to reject you. Right here. Right now.”
My mind reeled. “I don’t understand. Why?”
“It’s what you want, isn’t it?” Ronan continued. “Freedom. You should be happy.”
Happy.
The word felt foreign.
“This makes no sense,” I said, shaking my head. “You don’t just let me go like this. The deal was for a week. It’s barely been two days. Why would you do me such a favor without asking for anything in return?”
Students had started to notice.
Whispers spread quickly. Heads turned. A small crowd began to form around us, their curiosity buzzing in the air.
Renzo stepped forward, his presence commanding immediate attention.
“We’re rejecting you because we want nothing to do with you anymore, Jade,” he said coldly. “We’re tired of you. We don’t want to wait till the end of the week. We’re ending this now.” freewebnσvel.cѳm
My heart pounded painfully.
This was it.
This was everything I had wanted.
So why did it feel like I was standing at the edge of something terrifying?
I told myself it was just the bond. Just my wolf panicking at the thought of losing them. Nothing real.
I lifted my chin.
“Do it,” I said. “Do it right now. Free me from this damn bond.”
The air shifted.
Just as they began to speak, just as they were about to reject me.
“Stop!”
The voice was loud. Commanding.
The crowd parted instantly.
Alpha Ashford walked toward us, his presence alone enough to silence the entire entrance. Behind him was Mr. Harris, Linda’s father, his face tight with barely concealed anger.
My heart dropped into my stomach.
Alpha Ashford stopped in front of us, his gaze moving from me to his sons.
“You are not rejecting Jade Knight,” he said firmly.
The world seemed to tilt.
“As a matter of fact,” he continued, voice echoing across the courtyard, “you are going to be marrying her.”
My breath caught.
“Tonight.”
